Homeopathic dilutions of growth factors

ABSTRACT

The present invention comprises homeopathic dilutions of growth factors and methods for their use. Disorders which may be effectively treated with the compositions of the present invention include chronic viral disorders, such as HIV, AIDS, chronic fatigue syndrome and Epstein-Barr viral infections, cancer and diabetes. Homeopathic dilutions of growth factors are preferably administered orally. In an alternative embodiment, patients are treated with radio frequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growth factors.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a contination of U.S. application Ser. No.08/488,722 filed Jun. 8, 1995, now abandoned, which is acontinuation-in-part of prior U.S. application Ser. No. 08/221,365 filedMar. 31, 1994, now abandoned.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to the treatment of disorders such as chronicviral infections, cancer and diabetes and more particularly to the useof homeopathic dilutions of growth factors to treat such disorders.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

One aspect of this invention relates to the treatment of chronic viralinfections by administration of homeopathic dilutions of growth factors.Chronic viral infections, such as herpes simplex virus, Epstein-Barrvirus (EBV), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), papilloma virus,Coxsackie B, hauta virus and hepatitis virus, affect signal transductionmechanisms with deleterious effects within and between the host's immuneand nervous systems. During chronic viral infection, host cell signaltransduction and cell cycle regulation are altered, often causing cellinjury and cell death.

Viruses lack the necessary biochemical machinery to manufacture proteinsand must therefore insert their genetic material into a host cell genomein order to proliferate. Viruses consist of a protein coat and geneticmaterial. RNA viruses additionally contain reverse transcriptase, anenzyme that translates the RNA into a DNA strand before insertion in thehost cell genome.

During viral infection, the protein coat binds to the host cell'ssurface membrane enabling viral genetic information to subsequentlyenter the host cell. Entry occurs via various methods, one of which isattachment to specific membrane receptors, including growth factorreceptors. For example, the cell receptors for the Epstein Barr andherpes simplex type 1 viruses have been identified as the thirdcomponent of the complement receptor and the fibroblast growth factorreceptor, respectively. Insertion of viral genetic information into thehost cell's genome subverts the cell's normal metabolic and geneticmechanisms in order to prioritize viral gene expression and replication.

Chronic, or long-term, viral infections occur when the virus overcomesor effectively disrupts the normal neuronal and immunological defensemechanisms of the host. During early infection, several viruses, such asherpes simplex virus, EBV, human herpes 6 virus (HH6V), hepatitis andHIV can be asymptomatic as immune responses and viral replication remainin balance in specific cell populations. Viral replication occurs inresponse to extracellular stimuli (Garcia-Blanco, M. A. and Cullen, B.R. 1991 Science 254:815-820). Infections persist as continuous viralreplication occurs without substantial disruption of host cell function.Chronic viral infections terminate only when viral replication isdisrupted.

Viral infection erodes feedback communication between the host's immuneand nervous systems. For example, synthesis of adrenocorticotrophichormone (ACTH) by lymphocytes after viral infection disrupts the normalfeedback loop between pituitary/hypothalamus secretion of ACTH and theadrenal gland's synthesis of glucocorticoids in response to ACTHsignals. Over-expression of ACTH causes increased expression ofglucocorticoids which consequentially down-regulates the pituitary andsuppresses the activities of T lymphocytes. This constant stressresponse often leads to extreme fatigue and exhaustion in patients withchronic vital infections. In an immune compromised patient, chronicinfection leads to entry of virions into the bloodstream, the lymphaticvessels and/or the nerve pathways resulting in infection of new anddistant cell populations.

Long-term DNA viral infections correlate with chronic or cancerousillnesses. For example, hepatitis B viral infection was correlated withliver cirrhosis 44% of the time and primary hepatocellular carcinoma 58%of the time compared to 17% in a control group. EBV infection wascorrelated with Hodgkin's disease of the mixed cellularity type 60% ofthe time. Herpes type viral nucleic acid sequences from herpes simplex 1and 2, cytomegalovirus and EBV was found in the cerebrospinal fluid ofpatients with acute encephalitis. HH6V has been found to be a cofactorin causing chronic fatigue syndrome and AIDS. The ability of viruses tocause cancer is contained within specific sequences of the viral genome,known as oncogenes, that modulate gene transcription and regulation.

Gene transcription and regulation are modulated under normal conditionsby growth factors. Growth factors are cell signalling polypeptides thatbind to specific cell membrane receptors and initiate a cascade ofintracellular events that affect cell proliferation and differentiation.As stated above, many growth factors bind to the same cell surfacereceptors as viruses and therefore activate the same metabolic pathwaysused by viral infected or transformed cells.

There are gene sequence homologies between growth factors,proto-oncogenes and viral oncogenes. Normal non-cancer cells containproto-oncogenes that are homologous to the oncogene sequences found insome cancer causing viruses. Proto-oncogene as well as oncogenesequences have the power to regulate the cell cycle. Growth factorsregulate the cell cycle by manipulating proto-oncogenes. Someproto-oncogene sequences are homologous with growth factors or theirreceptors. For example, the B chain of platelet-derived growth factor(PDGF) is homologous to the proto-oncogene c-sis (Doolittle, R. F., etal. 1983 Science 221:275-77). The receptor for epidermal growth factor(EGF) is homologous to the proto-oncogene c-erbβ (Downward, et al. 1984Nature 307:521-527).

Growth factors and viruses use the same transcription sites to regulatecell proliferation and/or viral replication, and are thus in a somewhatcompetitive state with one another. For example, TGFβ plays a criticalrole in the transmission of biological information by acting as anon/off switch that couples cell behavior to the external environment.Within the TGFβ promoter lies the proto-oncogene c-fos which codes forkey transcription factors located at AP-1 transcription sites.Subversion of c-fos gene expression by HIV enhances HIV transcriptionand replication independent of control sites located at tat and NF_(k)62 (Roebuck, K. A. et al. 1993 J. Clin. Invest. 92:1336-1348). Viraltranscription in the human T-cell leukemia virus type 1 (HTLV-1), avirus with many characteristics similar to HIV, is tightly regulated bya Tax transactivator site located at the c-fos AP-1 site within the TGFβpromoter (Kim etal. 1990 J. Exp. Med. 172:121-129). When the TGFβpromoter is activated so is HTLV-1 Tax. Chronic viral infectioncoincides with aberrant expression of growth factors throughout the bodyas viruses have evolved to successively overcome the regulatory actionsof their competitors, growth factors.

Chronic viral infections can lead to up-regulation of growth factorexpression. For example, HIV infection up-regulates expression of tumornecrosis factor alpha (TNFα) and transforming growth factor beta (TGFβ).Over-expression of either of these growth factors disrupts normaltranscriptional control of gene expression, leading to suppression ofhematopoietic progenitor cells and increased HIV replication. TGFβ,secreted by HIV-infected lymphocytes, also promotes growth of Kaposi'ssarcoma cells, fibroblasts and endothelial cells.

Specific hemopoietic growth factors have been used to treat diseasessuch as AIDS and cancer. Hemopoietic growth factors are logicaltherapeutic immunomodulators to use for treatment of chronic viralinfections and other diseases for several reasons. First, endogenousgrowth factors such as granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor(GM-CSF) and macrophage colony stimulating factor (M-CSF) stimulateproliferation of hemopoietic progenitor cells. Second, lymphocytes,macrophages and natural killer cells that normally produce these factorsare quantitatively and qualitatively defective after infection by HIV,HH6V or EBV. Third, primates infused with GM-CSF showed low toxicitywith some positive but inconsistent rises in platelet number.

However, clinical studies on AIDS patients using GM-CSF and M-CSF atpharmacological concentrations (ug/kg/day) have produced mixed results.For example, injections or intravenous administration of GM-CSF atconcentrations of 0.5-0.8 ug/kg/day transiently increased leukocyte,neutrophil, eosinophil and monocyte counts in AIDS patients with nosignificant rise in platelet counts or change in reticulocyte andlymphocyte counts (Miles, S. 1992 AIDS Res. Hum. Retroviruses8:1073-1080). Subcutaneous injections of 0.25-4.0 ug/kg/day improvedleukocyte counts with no improvement in hemoglobin or platelet counts.However, the side effects included increased HIV replication, increasedlevels of P24 antigen, chills, nausea, myalgia and flu-like symptoms(Poli, G. et al. 1991 J. Exp. Med. 173:589-597; Scadden, D. T. 1990Hematopoietic Growth Factors in Trans. Med., Wiley-liss Inc., New York,pp. 163-176). GM-CSF also occasionally caused thrombocytopenia.Granulocyte colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) has been effective incorrecting neutropenia with some minor increases in lymphocyte counts.Additionally, hemoglobin and reticulocytes increased in numbers inpatients given G-CSF alone or in combination with erythropoietin.However, resumption of treatment with AZT after use of these growthfactors led to severe anemia. Pharmacological doses of growth factorsoften have harsh side effects.

Homeopathy, which dates back to the nineteenth century, is founded onthe principles of pharmacology. One of the earliest laws ofpharmacology, representing the homeopathic effect, is known as theArndt-Schultz law. Formulated by Arndt in 1888 and restated by Hueppe,the law states: for every substance, small doses stimulate, moderatedoses inhibit, large doses kill. Allopathic medicine, with its emphasison moderate drug doses, works to inhibit undesired physical symptoms andto kill undesired pathogens. Homeopathic medicine begins with smalldoses and moves towards higher and higher dilutions to stimulate thebody's own natural electromagnetic forces.

Homeopathic and allopathic principles can be represented on the samesinusoidal curve (shown in FIG. 1). There are several harmonicconcentrations over a log scale of dilutions that give the same desiredeffect. Oscillatory data demonstrating the stimulating and inhibitingeffect of log dilutions of anti-IgE antisera which caused human basophildegranulation have been generated and reproduced (Davehas, E., Beauvais,F. et al. Nature 333:816-818, 1988; Beneviste, J., Davenas, E. et al. C.R. Acad. Sci. Paris 312, series II, pp. 461-466, 1991). Control studiesusing dilutions of antihuman IgG antisera or simply distilled water didnot produce this same effect. One of the basic tenets of homeopathicmedicine is that a cure for a disease can be evoked by using a highdilution medicine that resembles but is different from the cause of thedisease. Homeopathy is widely accepted as a useful therapeuticthroughout Europe, the British Commonwealth countries and India, and hasbeen demonstrated to have characteristic and reproducible effects. Acritical review of more than 100 controlled and/or clinical studies ofhomeopathy determined that patients received positive healing benefitsfrom homeopathy beyond the placebo effect (Kleijnen, J. et al. 1991Brit. Med. J. 302:316-323).

Many homeopathic medicines are used at concentrations of micrograms(10⁻⁶ M) and nanograms (10⁻¹² M); however, other homeopathic dilutionsexceed Avogadro's number (6.023×10⁻²³). When homeopathic compounds arediluted 1:10, with repeated succusions (similar to vortexing) andrepetitively diluted by this procedure at least 24 times a potency isachieved (10⁻²⁴) that is so highly dilute that the probability of asingle molecule of the original substance remaining in the volume usedis less than 1×10⁻¹⁰. Homeopathic practitioners believe that the potencyof a compound increases with increasing dilutions. The standardhomeopathic dosage is 10-15 drops of a 10⁻¹² molar, or 6C, solutionadministered two to three times per day. A 10⁻⁶⁰ molar or 30C may begiven only one time per day. A 10⁻⁴⁰⁰ molar or 200C may be given onlyone time per month or year. A 6C dilution approximates 1 ng/ml, which isused in cell culture but would be considered a lower than physiologicaldose when administered to a patient either orally or by injection.

Highly dilute homeopathic medicines have been effective in treating someviruses in vivo. Homeopathic dilutions of 1×10⁻²⁰⁰ to 1×10⁻¹⁰⁰⁰ oftyphoidinum, hydrophobinum, tuberculinum, nux vomica and malandrinum100% inhibited pock-like lesions caused by a chicken embryo DNA virus onthe chorio-allantoic membrane compared to controls (Singh, L. M. andGupta, G. 1985 Brit. Homeopathy 74:168-174). Other homeopathicmedicines, the same medicines at different homeopathic concentrations orcontrol phosphate buffered solution (PBS), had lesser to no effect.

One of the advantages of homeopathic medicine in the treatment ofchronic viral infections is apparent in terms of viral mutation. One ofthe problems associated with the use of allopathic pharmaceuticals isthe drug resistance that develops as viruses mutate during frequentcycles of replication. For example, detailed kinetic studies on HIVviral load with antiviral therapy have demonstrated that the half-lifeof HIV in plasma is every two days. In other words, 30% of the viralload measured on any given day was produced in the last 24 hours. HIV isthe most rapidly replicating and mutating virus known to man.Homeopathic therapeutics are superior to allopathic therapeutics in thetreatment of chronic viral infections since homeopathic medicines, suchas high dilutions of growth factors, have no molecules that viruses,such as HIV, can mutate against. Homeopathic dilutions of growth factorsprobably activate signal transduction pathways without using signalingmolecules.

While the exact mechanism of action of homeopathic medicines is unknown,magnetic image resonance measurements on serial dilutions of substancesindicate that the hydroxyl (OH) groups in the solvent of solutionscontinue to change as dilutions become successively higher (Sacks, A. D.1983 J. Holistic Med. 5:175-176; Smith, R. and Boericke, G. 1968 J. Am.Inst. Homeopathy 61:197-212; Smith, R. and Boericke, G. 1966 J. Am.Inst. Homeopathy 59:263-279). It is clear that the specific effects ofhomeopathics are of a non-molecular origin, yet provide potentbiological information that is clinically effective. It has beenpostulated that highly dilute compounds transfer biological activity tocells by electromagnetic fields (Benveniste, J. 1993 FrontierPerspectives 3:13-15).

Experiments in several laboratories have provided evidence that aspecific biological activity can be initiated and/or modulated by highlydilute substances that contain hardly a molecule. An argument against amolecular basis for the activity is that heating dilutions to 70° F. for30 minutes or exposure to magnetic field strengths of 50 Hz, 150 gauss,for 15 minutes totally suppresses these effects. Del Giudice et al. havehypothesized that interactions between the electric dipoles of water andthe radiation fields of a charged molecule generate a permanentpolarization of water which becomes coherent and has the ability totransmit specific information to cell receptors, somewhat like a laser(Del Giudice, E., Preparata, G., Vitiello, G. 1988, Phys. Rev. Lett.61:1085-1088).

The cell surface membrane is the interface between electromagnetic wavesand biological activity of cells. Cell membranes maintain a carefullycontrolled surface potential that is transiently altered byelectromagnetic fields, viral attachment, and binding ofneurotransmitters, hormones and growth factors to their receptors.Liboff suggests that specific ionic currents are induced by Faraday'sLaw which affects the cell surface receptors and ion channels. (A. R.Liboff 1985, J. Biol. Physics 13:99-102.) In specific regions of thecell, such as the location of ionic channels and cell receptors, theremay be reduced wave scattering. Ionic species or charged side chains oncell receptors, will follow a resonating circular or helicalwell-defined orbit under the influence of electromagnetic signals.Liboff points out that channelized ions are constrained to move alonghelical paths. Similarly, receptor molecules are constrained within thelipid bilayer and will resonate with specific frequencies given properperiodic stimulus. Any movement or conformational changes of growthfactor receptors will induce signal transduction processes. Thewell-ordered water molecules that participate in intermolecular hydrogenbonding networks are present in the interface regions between growthfactors and their receptors, however they are not significant forprotein binding (Clackson, T. and Wells, J. A., 1995 Science267:383-386). Ordered water molecules are observed in several otherprotein-protein interfaces and can be present in both the bound andunbound states. For example, water molecules which fill gaps betweenimperfectly packed regions of human growth hormone receptors'extracellular domain in the ligand/receptor bound state are fullyavailable for electromagnetic activation in the unbound state. Theintegration of these separate schools of thought suggests that highdilutions of substances create changes in electromagnetic forcesinducing resonance in cell surface signal proteins thus transferringbiological activity through cell receptors or ionic channels andinitiating signal transduction processes.

Bioelectromagnetics underlies biochemical reactions. The science ofbioelectromagnetics studies the interactions of electromagnetic fieldsin living systems (Rubik, R. and Flower, R. G. 1994 Electromagneticapplications in medicine, Expanding Medical Horizons: Report to NIH onthe Status of Alternative Medicine, U.S. Govt. Printing office,Washington, D.C.; Tenforde, T. S. and Kaune, W. T. 1987 Health Physics53:585-606). Electrical stimulation of cells temporally changes thecell's membrane potential and evokes consequential changes of RNA, DNAand protein synthesis (Bourguignon, G. J. and Bourguignon, L. Y. 1987FASEB J. 1:398-402; Rodan, G. A. et al. 1978 Science 190:690-692).Several studies on the effects of administering electromagnetic signalshave been published. For example, Thomas et al. demonstrated behavioralchanges in rats following administration of a cyclotron electromagneticfield which resonates for the signal for unhydrated lithium ions (ThomasJ. R. et al. 1986 Bioelectromagnetics 7:349-357). Researchers alsoreport inhibition of tumor growth after administration of humaninterferon alpha (IFNα) plus DC current (Sersa, G. and Miklavcic, D.1990 Molecular Biotherapy 2:165-168). Electrical stimulation ofepidermal fibroblast cells has been shown to regulate both transforminggrowth factor-beta and insulin receptors (Falanga, V., Bourguignon G.J., Brougiugnon, L. Y. 1987 J. Invest. Dermatol. 88:488; Bourguignon, G.J., Jy, W., Bourguignon, L. Y. 1989 J. Cell. Physiol. 140:379-385). Thecell membrane, and in fact the whole body, respond to electrical andmagnetic stimuli and are thus receptive to communications beyond thelevel of biochemical and molecular mechanisms.

Few effective treatments are available for disorders such as chronicviral infections, cancer and diabetes. Insulin-dependant diabetes, whileregulated by insulin still has many systemic complications. Despite morethan ten years of aggressive research, both conventional andnaturopathic, no definitive treatment exists for HIV infection oracquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). There thus continues to be aneed in the art for effective treatments for chronic viral infections,cancer and diabetes.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to provide an effectivetreatment for disorders including chronic vital infections, cancer anddiabetes which will slow the progression of disease and/or relievedisease symptoms. An additional objective is to provide such a treatmentwhich does not lead to unwanted side effects. Another objective of thepresent invention is to provide such a treatment at a reasonable cost.

These and other objectives are achieved by administering homeopathicdilutions of growth factors, or electromagnetic signals, preferablyradio frequency signals, corresponding to homeopathic dilutions ofgrowth factors, to patients.

Growth factors are cell signalling polypeptides which modulate cellproliferation and differentiation by binding to specific cell membranereceptors. Binding of growth factors to cell membrane receptorsinitiates a cascade of intracellular events that affect genetranscription and expression within the cell. Growth factors range insize from 3,500 to 250,000 daltons and, unlike hormones, generally acton nearby cells via autocrine and paracrine mechanisms. However, theymay also act as second messengers for hormone signals.

Proteins, such as growth factors, may evolve from a common ancestor tothe point where they no longer share amino acid sequence similarity.However their relatedness may be evident from a structural comparison.Polypeptide growth factors, a diverse group of regulatory agents, havesimilar protomeric structures. McDonald and Hendrickson have classifiedgrowth factors into six superfamilies based on homology ofcharacteristic three dimensional structures (1993 Cell 73:421-424).X-Ray crystallographic and NMR studies have shown that growth factorscontain relatively few recurring structural folds despite theirdiversity. When structural folding is considered, several proteinspreviously regarded as hormones, such as insulin and growth hormone, aresubsumed into the definition of growth factors. Cytokines and growthfactors are very similar in both size and function. The term "growthfactor" as used herein, therefore encompasses cytokines and somehormones as well as the traditional growth factors.

A specific growth factor may have many cell sources and can usedifferent signal transduction pathways at different times and withdifferent cells. Growth factors are involved in complex feedback loopsbetween the immune, nervous and endocrine systems.

The homeopathic dilutions of growth factors of the present invention arepreferably of a concentration of less than about 10⁻⁶ molar, andpreferably between about 10⁻⁶ molar and about 10⁻¹⁰⁰,000 molar. Some ofthe homeopathic dilutions may thus contain less than one molecule ofgrowth factor. Homeopathic dilutions of growth factors are preferablyadministered orally, including liquid or solid form, such as pellets ortablets, however they may also be injected at key acupuncture or skinconductance points.

Growth factors which may be utilized in the present invention includegranulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF),granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF), macrophage-colonystimulating factor (M-CSF), tumor necrosis factor (TNFα), transforminggrowth factors (TGFs), epidermal growth factors (EGF), stem cell factor(SCF) platelet-derived growth factors (PDGF), nerve growth factor (NGF),fibroblast growth factors (FGF), insulin-like growth factors (IGF),growth hormone, interleukin-1, interleukin-2, keratinocyte growthfactor, ciliary neurotrophic growth factor, Schwann cell-derived growthfactor, vaccinia virus growth factor, insulin, bombyxin, neudifferentiation factor, v-Sis, glial growth factor/acetylcholinereceptor-inducing activity and other proteins that belong to theirstructural superfamilies.

Chronic viral infections that may be treated using the homeopathicdilutions of growth factors of the present invention include HIV, EBV,herpes simplex, papilloma, cytomegalovirus, Coxsackie B, hauta virus,human herpes 6 virus and hepatitis viral infections. Other disorderswhich may be effectively treated using the methods of the presentinvention include insulin-dependent and non-insulin dependent diabetes,and cancers such as leukemia and adenocarcinoma.

DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 is a sinusoidal curve demonstrating the stimulating andinhibiting effects of homeopathic and allopathic medicines.

FIGS. 2A and B show electrical conductance points for the hand and footas determined by Voll.

FIG. 3 shows the different outputs measured by the LISTEN system.

FIGS. 4A-C show the absolute counts of CD4, CD8 and CD2 lymphocytes inHIV-positive patients during three months of oral administration ofhomeopathic dilutions of growth factors compared to administration ofplacebo. All patients were taking natural medicines; none were takingantiretrovirals, human proteases, or other conventional HIV treatments.No patients were taking steroidal therapy.

FIG. 5 shows a scattergram of the RNA count of HIV viral load inHIV-positive patients following three months of treatment withhomeopathic dilutions of growth factors compared to administration ofplacebo.

FIGS. 6A and B show the percentage change and absolute change,respectively, in erythrocyte sedimentation rates in HIV-positivepatients following three months of oral administration of homeopathicdilutions of growth factors compared to placebo.

FIG. 7 shows the weight changes in HIV-positive patients following threemonths of treatment with homeopathic dilutions of growth factorscompared to administration of placebo.

FIGS. 8A-D show the change in serum calcium and phosphorus levels inHIV-positive patients following three months of oral administration ofhomeopathic dilutions of growth factors compared to administration ofplacebo. FIGS. 8A and C show the absolute changes. FIGS. 8B and D showpercentage changes.

FIGS. 9A and B show electrical conductance values for HIV-positivepatients prior to treatment with either homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors or placebo. FIGS. 9C and D show five measurements of electricalconductance at four key skin conductance points, associated with thespleen, thymus, nerves and brain in HIV-positive patients administeredeither homeopathic dilutions of growth factors or placebo, respectively.The measurements were taken during the course of a three month clinicalstudy.

FIG. 10 shows the change in platelet count over time in an HIV-positivepatient with thrombocytopenia both before and during treatment withhomeopathic dilutions of growth factors.

FIGS. 11A and B show the change in peripheral blood lymphocyte countsfor two HIV-positive patients following treatment with radio frequencysignals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growth factors.Neither of these patients were taking any conventional therapeutics.Both were taking natural medicines.

FIG. 12 shows the change in peripheral blood lymphocyte counts over timefor a control HIV-positive patient who was not taking any conventionalmedicine, only natural medicines. This patient did not receive any radiofrequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors.

FIG. 13 shows the change in total T lymphocyte cells, CD8 and CD4 countsfor an HIV-positive patient prior to and following administration ofradio frequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors.

FIG. 14 shows the mean values of electrical conductances for fifteenpatients with chronic EBV infection before treatment.

FIG. 15 shows the electrical conductances of eleven EBV patients aftertreatment with homeopathic growth factor signals and naturopathicsupplements.

FIG. 16 shows the electrical conductances for two cancer patients priorto treatment with the LISTEN system.

FIG. 17 shows the change in white blood cell count in a patient withchronic lymphocytic leukemia both before and during treatment with radiofrequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors and homeopathic liquid dilutions of growth factors.

FIG. 18 shows the electrical conductances for two patients with insulindependent diabetes prior to treatment with the LISTEN system.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The homeopathic dilutions of the present invention typically comprisebetween 1×10₋₆ and 1×10⁻¹⁰⁰,000 molar dilutions of growth factor in apharmaceutically acceptable diluent. The preferred homeopathic diluentis 100% grain alcohol. However, other diluents are known in the art andmay be employed in the present invention to increase solubility andstability of lyophilized growth factors. The homeopathic dilutions arepreferably administered orally, but may also be injected intoacupuncture or skin conductance points, or administered intravenously.In a preferred embodiment, homeopathic dilutions of growth factors areadministered by means of liquids or tablets which retain the memory ofthe homeopathic dilution. The tablets are made from a suitable organicmaterial, such as lactose (Botanical Labs., Bellingham, Wash.) bymethods well known in homeopathy (see, for example, the United StatesHomeopathic Pharmacopeia). Alternative methods of administration mayalso be used, such as topical application. Example 1 describes thepreliminary results of a double-blind placebo controlled clinical studyevaluating the effects of administration of homeopathic dilutions ofgrowth factors on lymphocyte counts in HIV patients using liquiddilutions.

Radio frequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors may be administered as illustrated by Examples 2-8, in whichExample 2 describes a one time evaluation of homeopathic growth factorsignals on HIV-positive patients; Example 3 demonstrates the effect ofrepeated administrations of homeopathic growth factor signals on twoHIV-positive patients compared to a control patient who was not treatedwith radio frequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions ofgrowth factors; Example 4 shows a four-year longitudinal study of anHIV-positive patient treated with homeopathic growth factor signals;Example 5 describes the effects of administration of homeopathic growthfactor signals on patients with Epstein-Barr viral infections (EBV);Example 6 describes the treatment of two cancer patients with signalscorresponding to homeopathic growth factors; Example 7 demonstrates theeffects of administration of homeopathic growth factor signals to apatient with chronic lymphocytic leukemia; and Example 8 demonstratesthe effects of administration of homeopathic growth factor signals totwo diabetic patients.

In Examples 2-8 patients were treated using the Life Information SystemTEN (LISTEN) (BioSource, Inc., Orem, Utah) which determines skinresistance or electrical conductance. The basic tenet behind the LISTENsystem is that the points on the body normally referred to as"acupuncture points" have an optimal electrical resistance (100,000ohms) in healthy subjects which changes during illness. Each acupuncturepoint is associated with a specific meridian, or line of electricalconductance, which in turn is associated with a particular organ orsystem of the body (Voll, R. 1977 Topographic positions of themeasurement points in electro-acupuncture. 1st English edition, H.Schuldt translator, Medizinish Literarische Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, C.Beckers Buchdruckerei GmbH & Co. KG, M. Sc. Uelzen, Germany, vols1-4+supplement). Furthermore, Voll showed that the electrical activityat each of these points is related to the functional status of thespecific organ or system (See, for example, Am. J. Acupuncture 8:97-104,1980). FIGS. 2A and 2B illustrate hand and foot conductance points asdefined by Voll. Points coded LY are related to lymph tissue, LU to lungtissue, LA to large intestine, NE to the nervous system, TR toneuroendocrine points, SP to spleen and PA to the pancreas.

By determining the electrical resistance at different points on apatient, it is possible to determine which organs are affected by adisease. For example, Bergsmann and Woolley-Hart demonstratedsignificant differences in electrical conductances between humanpatients with and without liver disease at acupuncture pointscorresponding to the liver (Am. J. Acupuncture 1:27-32, 1973). Duringthe 1930-1940s Burr and associates at Yale published more than sixteenpapers on bioelectric potential, or skin conductance, and itssignificance as an indicator of physiological states, such as cancer, inanimal models (See, for example, Langman L. and Burr, H. S. (1949) Am.J. Obstet. Gyn. 57:274-281). In addition, a patient can be treated byproviding a radio frequency electrical signal which restores electricalconductance at specific points to normal levels.

The LISTEN system is a modified computer-based system which, in additionto determining electrical resistance at specific conductance points, canbe used to administer radio frequency signals corresponding to specificcompounds, such as homeopathic dilutions of growth factors. Thesesignals are generated by digital codes pre-programmed into the system bythe manufacturer. The patient to be evaluated holds a source electrode,or brass bar, covered with wet gauze in one hand. The practitioner holdsa second brass electrode, or probe, like a pen and touches a specificconductance point in the other hand or in a foot with the probe whilefirmly supporting the finger or toe.

Conductance points are said to be approximately 3 mm in diameter andlocated in the epidermal layer of the skin, often at the neck of thebones. In order to obtain the most accurate and reproduciblemeasurement, the probe is placed at a 45° angle to the bone. Three testsare conducted per point in order to determine the reliability of themeasurement.

The LISTEN system determines three significant outputs: the risingslope; the maximal conductance; and the falling slope as shown in FIG.3. The maximum is defined as the electrical conductance (ohms) producedat a patient's skin point in response to a maximal 5 volt stimulus. Aninternal clock calculates the time in seconds for the ohm meter to reachmaximal conductance, and then during a constant one second periodrecords the maximum and minimum conductance. The rising slope equals themaximum conductance divided by the seconds of time to reach maximum. Thefalling slope equals the maximum minus the minimum divided by seconds oftime (in this case 1 second). Optimal resistance at an acupuncture skinpoint is 100,000 ohms (Zong-xiang 1981 Am. J. Acupuncture 9:203-216),scaled on this Y-axis at a value of 50 arbitrary units. Conductances inthe range of 48-54 units at all skin conductance points on the hands andfeet are thus indicative of optimal human vitality or state of health.Calibration of the LISTEN device with a resistor occurs every six monthsso that 50 units=100,000 ohms with 1% precision. Preliminary studies on28 points in 15 `healthy` individuals determined that the mean maximumconductance was 50.3±0.58 units (SEM) with a rise of 20.1±0.57units/sec.

The general protocol followed in Examples 2-8 is outlined below.Baseline conductance measurements were obtained on the right side plusone left side point for the spleen meridian in order to discover whichpoints varied in their maximum and minimum from the optimal range of48-54 and which points varied in rise from 14±0.3 and fall from1.25±0.3. The areas in the body most out of balance were thusdetermined. The point with the highest abnormal reading or the highestpoint in the area with the greatest numbers of imbalanced energy wasselected. The Specific Listings category of the LISTEN system was blindscanned in order to determine which growth factor was most likely tobalance the specific point in terms of maximum-minimum readings and riseand fall readings. A radio frequency signal corresponding to theselected growth factor was then administered to the patient for a periodof one second to determine if it alone would balance the electricalconductance at the chosen point. All available growth factor signalswere tested in this manner until it was determined which growth factoror combination of growth factors balanced all the points. If chronicallylow points could not be brought back into the normal range, a growthfactor signal was selected which brought the conductance reading asclose to normal as possible. In the following examples, all points werebrought back into the normal range.

Some patients in Table VI were then challenged with radio frequencysignals corresponding to a variety of viruses. Each virus signal wastested for its ability to raise the patient's normal reading. Readingsabove 75 were considered to be a positive test. A signal correspondingto both the selected growth factor and the virus that "stressed" thenormal point was subsequently administered to determine whether theselected growth factor could balance the electrical conductance under"stress" conditions.

The LISTEN system may be employed to determine whether a therapeuticagent would be effective in returning one or more specific organs ortissues of the body to optimal vitality by administering a signalcorresponding to the therapeutic agent to the skin conductance pointrelated to that organ or tissue and determining whether the signalreturns the conductance at that point to the optimal level. The LISTENsystem can thus be used to screen multiple therapeutic agents forefficacy in treating a specific disorder.

EXAMPLE 1

Twenty-one HIV-positive patients were enrolled in a double-blind placebocontrolled study to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of oraladministration of homeopathic dilutions of growth factors in raisinglymphocyte counts in HIV seropositive (HIV+) patients. In order toqualify for the study, patients had to be over 18 years of age, have CD4counts in the range of 180-550 cells/mm³, fall within CDCclassifications A1, A2, B1, B2, B3 and C2, and not be receiving anyconventional HIV therapy, such as recombinant soluble CD4, nucleoside ornon-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitors, TAT antagonists,antisense oligonucleotides, ribozyme therapy, transdominant proteins,protease inhibitors, glucosidase inhibitors, adoptive immunotherapy orribonucleotide reductase inhibitors, either during or three weeks priorto the commencement of the study. The patients were randomly assigned toeither a placebo group or a treatment group, with 11 patients beingenrolled in the treatment group and 10 in the placebo group.

Homeopathic dilutions of insulin-like growth factor (IGF₁), transforminggrowth factor (TGFβ1), BB-platelet-derived growth factor (BB-PDGF) andgranulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF) were preparedas follows. IGF₁, TGFβ1, and BB-PDGF (all from Genzyme, Boston, Mass.)were diluted to a 10⁻⁴ concentration, equivalent to a homeopathicpotency of 3C in either 1M acetic acid or 0.10% trifluoroacetic acid and30% acetonitrile which was then evaporated off. GM-CSF (tradenameLeukine, Immunex Corp., Seattle, Wash.) was diluted to a 10⁻⁴concentration in sterile water. Serial dilutions of 1:100 were madeaccording to the protocol described in the United States HomeopathicPharmacopeia to provide potencies of 30C (10⁻⁶⁰) for BB-PDGF and TGFβ1,200C (10⁻⁴⁰⁰) for GM-CSF, and 1M (10⁻²,000) for IGF₁, BB-PDGF, andTGFβ1, including 0.5% bovine serum albumin (BSA) for stability. Thefinal dilutions were prepared in a 20% glycerine base solution in waterwithout alcohol.

Patients in the treatment group were orally administered 10 drops eachof BB-PDGF (both 30C and 1M dilutions), TGFβ1 (both 30C and 1Mdilutions), IGF₁ (1M dilution) and GM-CSF (200C dilution) three timesper day. All growth factor dilutions were administered at the same time.The dilutions of each growth factor were contained in a separate bottle,thus four bottles of homeopathic dilutions of growth factors or fourbottles of placebo were given to each participant. Patients in thecontrol group were administered dilutions of 20% glycerine alone, whichtasted and appeared to be the same substance but contained no growthfactor dilutions.

FIG. 4A shows the CD4 lymphocyte counts during three months of oraladministration of homeopathic dilutions of growth factors compared toplacebo treatment. The data show that CD4 lymphocyte counts in patientsreceiving homeopathic dilutions of growth factors remained stable orincreased, while patients receiving placebo continued to lose CD4lymphocyte counts. CD4 cells are generally associated with helper Tlymphocyte cells.

The two groups started with approximately the same CD4 lymphocytecounts. Specifically, the treatment group had initial CD4 counts of338±41 cells/mm³ and the placebo group had initial CD4 counts of 335±39cells/mm³. Following two months of treatment, the CD4 lymphocyte countsfor the two groups were significantly different, with the treatmentgroup having a count of 340±32 cells/mm³ and the placebo group having aCD4 count of 244±36 cells/mm³. This represents a statisticallysignificant difference of P<0.05 between the two groups after two monthsof treatment. After three months the treatment group had a CD4lymphocyte count of 354±44 compared to the placebo group CD4 lymphocytecount of 257±36 cells. The fall in CD4 lymphocyte counts in the placebogroup is similar to that found in other studies on the treatment ofHIV+patients using only natural medicine without growth factors.

As shown in FIGS. 4B and 4C, no statistically significant changes wereobserved in CD8 and CD2 lymphocyte counts between the placebo andtreatment group at the end of the three month study. CD8 cells areassociated with suppressor T lymphocyte function and CD2 cells representtotal T lymphocytes.

Data on the RNA count of viral HIV load for the study participants(treatment group n=10, placebo group n=10) at the end of the three monthstudy is presented as a scattergram in FIG. 5. As shown in FIG. 5, sixpatients in the treatment group had less than 50,000 HIV RNA copies/mlwith a mean of 14,530±2,896 copies/ml compared to one patient with46,360 copies/ml in the placebo group. This represents a three foldlower viral load in persons administered homeopathic dilutions of growthfactor compared to placebo (P<0.002).

The difference in erythrocyte sedimentation rates (ESR) between thetreatment and placebo groups was statistically significant at the end ofthe three month study as shown in FIG. 6. Both groups started withsimilar ESR values (24±6.8 mm/hr for the treatment groups compared to19.6±4.9 mm/hr for the placebo group). Following three months of oraladministration of homeopathic dilutions of growth factors, the ESRvalues for the treatment group had decreased to 15.5±4.03 mm/hr adecrease of 32.1±15.6%. In contrast, the placebo group ESR valuesincreased to 22.1±5.7 mm/hr, an increase of 4.2±8.44% (P<0.005).

ESR values represent non-specific measures of inflammation and/orinfection. ESR values rise steadily as HIV disease progresses. Researchhas shown that ESR values may be a useful addition to the CD4 count andbeta 2-microglobulin in assessing the stage of HIV disease(Schwartlardes, B. et al. 1993 AIDS 7:813-21). Increased ESR valuesduring disease progression in HIV-positive patients have been reportedin a group of patients taking natural medicines (Standish, L. et al.1992 J. Naturopathic Medicine 3:42-64). The difference in ESR valuesseen between the treatment and placebo groups in the present study isconsistent with HIV-related disease progression in the placebo group.The treatment group continued to improve in health and lower theirHIV-related symptoms. The decrease in ESR values demonstrates thathomeopathic dilutions of growth factors positively and specificallyaffect lymphocytes and lower the chronic inflammatory reactions causedby HIV infection, or other chronic viral infections. There were nosignificant changes in hemoglobin or hematocrit in either group duringthe three month clinical study.

FIG. 7 shows the average weight change in patients in the treatmentgroup versus those in the placebo group during the three month study.There was a weight gain of 4.88±1.92 (SEM) pounds in the treatment groupcompared to a loss of 3.95±1.43 pounds in the placebo group. Weight gainin the treatment group was statistically significant compared to theweight loss in the placebo group (P<0.001). Weight gain may beassociated with using homeopathic dilutions of insulin-like growthfactor which, in pharmacological doses, is known to participate inanabolic processes in the body.

FIGS. 8A-D show the change in serum calcium and phosphorus levelsfollowing three months of oral administration of homeopathic dilutionsof growth factors compared to administration of placebo. Calcium is asignificant mineral in the body and participates in numerous metabolicfunctions. Phosphorus contributes to formation and utilization of ATP,phosphorylated metabolic intermediates and nucleic acids. In the form ofphosphilpids and inositol polyphosphates, it plays critical roles in thesignal transduction mechanisms after growth factor stimulation.Lymphocytes from HIV-infected individuals show aberrant inositolpolyphosphate metabolism which reverses after AZT therapy (Nye et al.1990). Both calcium and phosphorus are poorly absorbed in someHIV-positive persons.

All participants were within the normal ranges for serum calcium atentry into the study with a mean value of 8.87±0.074 mg/dl. However,this is lower than a cohort of an equal number of age/sex matchednon-HIV⁺ patients whose serum calcium levels were 9.2±0.085 mg/dl.Because calcium plays a critical role in signal transduction processeselicited by growth factors and because study participants were on thelow side of normal, all participants were asked to add 1000 milligramsof calcium into their diet, if they were not using it already, tomaximize the potential action of the high dilution growth facts. Calciumcitrate or calcium chelated to several amino acids and acidic moletieswere recommended for maximal absorption. During the clinical study, thetreatment group started with serum calcium values of 8.8±0.10 mg/dl andincreased their serum calcium levels to 9.5±0.12 mg/dl which representsa 7.14±1.2% increase. In contrast, the placebo group entered the studywith serum calcium values of 8.96±0.13 mg/dl and ended the study withvalues of 9.04±0.07 mg/dl, which is a 2.05±1.2% increase. The differencein serum calcium levels between the two groups was statisticallysignificant (P<0.003). The increase in calcium is consistent withincreased body weight seen in the treatment group compared to theplacebo group and may reflect greater absorption from the intestines.

Similarly, during the three-month double blind study, persons treatedwith combinations of homeopathic dilutions of growth factors increasedserum phosphorus levels by 8.11±3.27% while phosphorus levels in theplacebo group decreased by 10.39±4.99%.

There was no evidence that oral administration of homeopathic dilutionsof growth factors had toxic effects on any of the participants. None ofthe subjects in the treatment group had high liver enzyme function tests(LFT), SGPT (alanine aminotransferase), SGOT (aspartateaminotransferase), GGPT (gamma glutamyltranspeptidase) at baseline orafter any of the months of treatment. Three patients in the placebogroup, however, had high LFT's at baseline and four patients in theplacebo group had high LFT'after the three month clinical study. Thus,the randomization process did not equally distribute persons with poorliver function.

The differences in liver function between placebo and treatment patientsat baseline raises the possibility that differences in CD4 lymphocytecounts between the groups could have been due to differences in healthat baseline and not due to administration of homeopathic dilutions ofgrowth factors. In order to address this possibility, changes in CD4lymphocyte counts were correlated with LFT at baseline to determinewhether patients who had abnormal LFT were also the patients who lostthe most CD4 cells during the study. Table I indicates no obviouscorrelation between high liver enzymes and loss of CD4 cells in thethree people taking placebo.

                  TABLE I                                                         ______________________________________                                                 Patient #5  Patient #7  Patient #17                                  Months   CD4 cells/mm.sup.3                                                                        CD4 cells/mm.sup.3                                                                        CD4 cells/mm.sup.3                           ______________________________________                                        0        541         302         207                                          1        241         373         131                                          2        264         350         122                                          3        501         329         137                                          Total Change                                                                           -40         +27         -70                                          in CD4 cells                                                                  ______________________________________                                    

During the study there were no opportunistic infections in the treatmentgroup and two in the placebo group; pneumocystis carini pneumonia andsevere autoimmune demyelinating polyneuropathy and myelopathy.

LISTEN measurements of electrical conductance at key skin pointsassociated with organs known to be involved in HIV also indicatesignificant differences between the treatment and placebo groups duringthe three month clinical study.

Prior to commencement of treatment, the LISTEN system was employed todetermine electrical conductance for each patient at 112 skinconductance points. Each conductance point correlates to specific organsand tissues of the body according to the Electroacupuncture According toVoll (EAV) system (see, for example, Am. J. Acupuncture 8:97-104, 1980).The optimal range for conductance (50.78 relative units±3.05 Std. Der.)was identified from measurements on 34 non-viral infected "healthy"controls. In the HIV-positive patients, electrical conductances at 16 ofthe skin points were found to be outside the normal range, with 13 ofthe points being above optimal, 1 being below optimal, and 2 falling atthe lowest end of optimal, as shown in FIG. 9A and B. These points,which correlate with the lymphatic system, lungs, cell metabolism,spleen, nerves, the neuroendocrine organs (including thymus-thyroid) andthe liver are known to be key areas directly disrupted by HIV invention.

We continued to evaluate electrical conductance at four key areas(spleen, thymus, nerve and brain) not easily measurable by conventionalmeans to evaluate over time the progress of these patients. Electricalconductances at these four key skin points were measured five times overthe course of the three-month clinical study (every three weeks). Asshown in FIGS. 9C and D measurements of spleen 1 electrical conductancewere low in both groups at the onset of the study. The treatment groupremained closer to the optimal range of electrical conductancethroughout the study than did the placebo group. After six weeks, spleen1 measurements were in the optimal range for the treatment group, whilethe placebo group's conductances peaked but did not reach optimalvalues. Both groups fell below their entry conductance measurements atthe end of the study. The thymus, nerves and brain conductances wereinitially higher in the treatment group and improved, entering theoptimal range three out of five times during the study. In contrast, theplacebo group's conductances for thymus, nerves and brain remained outof the optimal range three out of five times. These data demonstrate theLISTEN's ability to prognostically and non-invasively determine if agiven therapeutic, such as homeopathic dilutions of growth factors, isable to improve the health status of viral infected patients and actsupon the target tissues infected by the virus.

FIG. 10 shows a change in platelet counts over a three-year period foran HIV-positive patient with idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura. Priorto the commencement of treatment, the patient had a CD4 count of 6cells/mm³. At the beginning of the timeline shown in FIG. 9, the patientwas treated with prednisone for three months. During the first two weeksof prednisone treatment, the platelet counts increased from 6,000 to17,000 cells/μl, and then dropped to 2,000-3,000 and stayed at thatlevel for the next two years. Following oral administration of the samehomeopathic dilutions of growth factors used in the three-month clinicalstudy described above, the platelet count increased to 13,000.Immediately prior to treatment with homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors, the patient was treated with shark liver oil andalkylglycerols. No intervention other than prednisone and homeopathicdilutions of growth factors effected the platelet count.

EXAMPLE 2

Using the protocol outlined above, eleven HIV positive patients with CD4counts in the range 67-570 cells/mm³ were evaluated with the LISTENsystem to determine whether electrical conductances could be balancedwith growth factor signals. Electrical conductance was measured atpoints known to be weak in HIV and AIDS patients, including pointscorresponding to the spleen (SPCL), spleen lymphocytes homing to theupper body (SP1L), spleen lymphocytes homing to the lower body andgastrointestinal tract (SP2L), spleen blood filtering function (SP3L),environmentally related allergies (AL1R), general allergies (ALCR),lymph tissue of lungs (LY4R), lymph nodes (LY1R), general lymph function(LYCR), lymph drainage of tonsils/throat (LY1aR) and connective tissue(FICR).

Signals corresponding to growth factors at potencies of 6C (1:100diluted six times=10⁻¹²), 30C (1:100), diluted thirty times=10⁻⁶⁰ ),200C (1:100 diluted 200 times=10⁻⁴⁰⁰), 1000C (1:100 diluted 1000times=10⁻²⁰⁰⁰), also termed "1M", were administered.

Table II, shows the results of a preliminary study to test which signalscorresponding to different potencies growth factors would balanceelectrical conductances (i.e., electrical conductance achieved optimalrange) in eleven HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts ranging from 66to 400 cells/mm³.

                  TABLE II                                                        ______________________________________                                                    Appeared                                                                      No. of People                                                                          6C    30C    200C 1000C                                  ______________________________________                                        Nerve Growth Factor                                                                         7/11       3     2    1    4                                    (NGF)                                                                         Insulin-like Growth                                                                         10/11      6     4    6    7                                    Factor-1 (IGF.sub.1)                                                          Acidic Fibroblast                                                                           6/11       2     3    1    5                                    Growth Factor (αFGF)                                                    Basic Fibroblast Growth                                                                     6/11       2     2    5    4                                    Factor (βFGF)                                                            BB Platelet-derived                                                                         9/11       3     5    1    5                                    Growth Factor                                                                 (BB-PDGF)                                                                     AA Platelet-derived                                                                         8/11       3     4    3    2                                    Growth Factor                                                                 (AA-PDGF)                                                                     AB Platelet-derived                                                                         7/11       3     5    3    4                                    Growth Factor                                                                 (AB-PDGF)                                                                     Transforming Growth                                                                         5/11       2     2    4    3                                    Factor alpha (TGFα)                                                     Epidermal Growth                                                                            5/11       0     2    2    3                                    Factor (EGF)                                                                  Stem Cell Factor (SCF)                                                                      5/11       3     1    3    2                                    Transforming Growth                                                                         6/11       3     3    1    6                                    Factor-beta 1 (TGFβ1)                                                    Transforming Growth                                                                         4/11       1     2    2    1                                    Factor-beta 2 (TGFβ2)                                                    Granulocyte-Macro-                                                                          7/11       2     0    4    3                                    phage Colony Stimu-                                                           lating Factor (GM-CSF)                                                        Tumor Necrosis Factor                                                                       7/11       4     2    4    4                                    alpha (TNFα)                                                            Macrophage Colony                                                                           7/11       2     2    2    4                                    Stimulating Factor                                                            (M-CSF)                                                                       ______________________________________                                    

In ten of the eleven patients, administration of insulin-like growthfactor (IGF₁) signal brought the electrical conductance back into thenormal range, with some patients responding to more than one dilution.BB Platelet-derived growth factor (BB-PDGF) and AA-platelet-derivedgrowth factor (AA-PDGF) were also highly effective in returningelectrical conductance measurements to normal. Signals corresponding tohigher dilutions of growth factors appeared to be more effective inrestoring the electrical conductance to normal values.

Tables III and IV show which radio frequency signals corresponding tohomeopathic dilutions of growth factors balanced electrical conductanceat spleen acupuncture points and lymphatic skin conductance points(labelled YES) and which did not balance electrical conductance(labelled NO) for five HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts of 225-395cells/mm³ (Table III) and five HIV-positive patients with CD4 counts of66-170 cells/mm³

                  TABLE III                                                       ______________________________________                                        YES        YES    YES    YES  NO   NO   NO   NO                               6c         30c    200c   1M   6c   30c  200c 1M                               ______________________________________                                        PDGF.sub.BB                                                                           1      5      3    4    3    0    2    1                              GM-CSF  3      0      4    5    1    4    1    2                              TGF.sub.B1                                                                            1      4      2    3    3    1    4    1                              IGF.sub.1                                                                             2      2      3    4    2    3    1    2                              Insulin 1      4      4    3    3    1    1    2                              TNF.sub.a                                                                             1      3      5    5    3    3    0    0                              PDGF.sub.AA                                                                           1      5      3    3    3    0    2    2                              PDGF.sub.AB                                                                           1      4      1    4    3    1    4    2                              TGF.sub.a                                                                             1      2      3    2    3    3    2    1                              TGF.sub.B2                                                                            2      1      2    3    2    3    3    2                              SCF     2      1      3    4    2    3    2    1                              MCSF    2      2      3    0    2    2    3    5                              EGF     2      3      3    4    2    2    2    1                              NGF     2      4      2    3    3    1    3    2                              aFGF    2      2      1    4    3    3    4    2                              bFGF    2      3      3    5    2    1    2    0                              totals  26     45     43   66   40   31   31   25                             ______________________________________                                    

                  TABLE IV                                                        ______________________________________                                        YES        YES    YES    YES  NO   NO   NO   NO                               6c         30c    200c   1M   6c   30c  200c 1M                               ______________________________________                                        PDGF.sub.BB                                                                           2      2      0    0    1    2    5    5                              GM-CSF  0      0      2    3    1    3    3    2                              TGF.sub.B1                                                                            2      2      0    5    1    2    5    4                              IGF1    3      2      2    3    0    2    3    2                              Insulin 2      1      2    2    1    3    3    2                              TNF.sub.a                                                                             2      2      3    5    1    2    2    0                              PDGF.sub.AA                                                                           3      1      1    0    0    3    4    5                              PDGF.sub.AB                                                                           2      2      1    1    1    2    4    4                              TGF.sub.a                                                                             3      1      2    0    0    3    4    5                              TGF.sub.B2                                                                            2      2      1    1    1    2    4    4                              SCF     2      2      2    3    1    2    3    1                              MCSF    1      0      1    4    2    5    4    1                              EGF     1      2      0    0    2    2    5    5                              NGF     3      1      1    1    1    3    4    4                              aFGF    1      1      0    2    2    3    5    3                              bFGF    0      1      2    2    3    3    3    3                              totals  31     22     20   32   18   42   61   50                             ______________________________________                                    

The group with the higher CD cell counts was overall more responsive tosignals of growth factors, responding positively 180 times to radiofrequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors, compared to only 105 times in the group with lower CD4 cellscounts. There was almost an inverse relationship between the higer andlower CD4 cell count groups in terms of YES and NO responses to thegrowth factors tested in this study. The group with CD4 cell countsabove 225 cells/rem³ primarily responded YES to PDGF at 10⁻⁶⁰ and10⁻²⁰⁰⁰, GM-CSF at 10⁻⁴⁰⁰ and 10⁻²⁰⁰⁰, TGF_(B) 1 at 10⁻⁶⁰, and IGF₁ at10⁻²⁰⁰⁰, With positive responses to these growth factors, in general, atotal of 46 times and negative responses only 31 times. In contrast,patients with CD4 cell counts of 170 cells/mm3 or lower primarilyresponded NO 41 times and responded YES only 30 times.

In a separate study, an asymptomatic HIV-positive patient was given asimultaneous radio frequency signal challenge of HIV using the LISTENsystem while scanning dilutions specifically for βFGF to determine whichdilutions between 6× and 6C might be useful. Signals corresponding todilutions of 20×, 30×, 200×, 400×, 600×, 800× and 6C were found to bringthe electrical conductances back into the optimal range.

EXAMPLE 3

Two HIV-positive patients were treated with signals for homeopathicdilutions of growth factors using the LISTEN system several times perweek for a period of three months using the protocol outlined above.

Peripheral blood lymphocyte counts were obtained for both patients at,or shortly after, the commencement of treatment with homeopathic growthfactor signals and again at the end of the study. Prior to thecommencement of treatment, both patients had a CD4 count of less than200. Patient 2 was treated with homeopathic growth factor signals alone,while patient 1 was treated with a combination of homeopathic growthfactor signals and, in addition, was treated therapeutically withhomeopathic medicines and/or some botanicals corresponding to thedigital codes from the LISTEN. Neither patient was on anti-retroviraltherapy.

Signals of homeopathic growth factors corresponding to a combination ofdilutions were administered for one second to skin points associatedwith organs and tissues known to be weak in HIV and AIDS patients, asoutlined in Example 2. Growth factors were selected based on theirability to effectively return conductance levels to normal. The numberof times that signals corresponding to specific growth factors returnedelectrical conductance levels to optimal are shown in Table V.

                  TABLE V                                                         ______________________________________                                                              NUMBER OF                                                                     APPEARANCES                                                                    Patient   Patient                                      GROWTH FACTORS         One       Two                                          ______________________________________                                        Nerve Growth Factor (NGF)                                                                            14        7                                            Insulin-like Growth Factor-1 (IGF.sub.1)                                                             4         8                                            Acidic Fibroblast Growth Factor (αFGF)                                                         13        6                                            Basic Fibroblast Growth Factor (βFGF)                                                           4         0                                            BB Platelet-derived Growth                                                    Factor (BB-PDGF)       1         8                                            AA Platelet-derived Growth Factor                                             (AA-PDGF)              5         0                                            AB Platelet-derived Growth Factor                                             (AB-PDGF)              0         0                                            Transforming Growth Factor alpha (TGFα)                                                        10        0                                            Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF)                                                                        3         0                                            Stem Cell Factor (SCF) 5         0                                            Transforming Growth Factor-beta 1                                             (TGFβ1)           5         0                                            Transforming Growth Factor-beta 2                                             (TGFβ2)           0         2                                            Granulocyte/Macrophage-Colony                                                 Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF)                                                                          0         2                                            Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNFα)                                                             0         0                                            Macrophage-Colony Stimulating Factor                                                                 0         0                                            (M-CSF)                                                                       ______________________________________                                    

Nerve growth factor (NGF), acidic fibroblast growth factor (αFGF) andtransforming growth factor alpha (TGFα) were most effective in bringingthe electrical conductance measurements back into the normal range.

Prior to being treated with homeopathic growth factor signals, patient 2had been treated with a variety of different botanicals. For thefour-month period immediately prior to the commencement of homeopathicgrowth factor treatment, patient 2 was treated with the botanical bittermelon (called momordica) which resulted in increases in CD8, CD3, CD2and CD19 counts of more than 50 percent. Bitter melon (momordica) wasthen discontinued. As shown in FIG. 11A, administration of signalscorresponding to homeopathic growth factors resulted in a slightincrease in patient 2's peripheral blood lymphocyte counts without anyother medical treatment. The average loss of CD4 cells in HIV-positivepatients is 20% of the cells per year.

For patient 1, administration of signals corresponding to homeopathicdilutions of growth factors increased the CD4 count by 76%, while theCD8, CD2 and CD3 counts increased by 38%, as shown in FIG. 11B.

These results are in marked contrast to the typical course ofprogression for HIV and AIDS in which the lymphocyte count continues todrop as the disease progresses. FIG. 12 shows the decrease in peripheralblood lymphocyte counts over time for a typical HIV-positive patient.This patient did not receive any homeopathic growth factor treatment orconventional HIV therapy, but did receive botanical supplements.

EXAMPLE 4

FIG. 13 shows the change in total T lymphocyte cell, CD8 and CD4 countsfor an HIV-positive patient over a period of four years. This patientwas infected with HIV in 1982. In September 1992 (month 21) the CD4 cellcount plummeted to 106 cells/mm³. The average annual decrease in CD4cells in this range is reported to be 32 cells/mm³ when takinganti-retroviral therapeutics (Dept. of Epidemiology, University ofWashington). However, after three months of daily treatments with radiofrequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors, the CD4 cells increased by 138 cells/mm³ and by month 33, inSeptember 1993, the CD4 cell count was 225 cells/mm, 199 cells/mm³higher than the previous year. Each time the patient received the growthfactor radio frequency signals, lymphocyte counts increased. When thepatient did not receive the growth factor signals, the CD4 lymphocytecounts dropped, despite the fact that the patient was continuallyreceiving weekly acupuncture treatments.

For example, between months 30 and 33 (june 1993 and September 1993) thepatient regularly balanced electrical conductance points (four officevisits, no growth factor signals administered). The CD8 and total Tlymphocyte cell counts increased 300-350 cells/mm³, but the CD4 cellsdropped 17 cells/mm³. The CD4 cells continued to drop until growthfactor signals were given regularly (months 38 to 42; February to June1994). During this time the patient had seven office visits and duringfour of them (2 in March, 1 in April and 1 in May) was treated withgrowth factor signals for NGF, AB-PDGF, IGF₁, βFGF, and TGFα. Duringthis five month period the patient's CD4 count rose 30 cells/mm³, from180 cells/mm³ to 210 cells/mm³. The CD8 and total T lymphocyte countsalso rose 430-475 cells/mm³. CD8 cell counts above 500 cells/mm³correlate with low viral replication and perhaps longer survival due totheir secretion of growth factors yet to be characterized (1994International Conference on AIDS).

There was only one time period (months 33-38; September 1993 to February1994) that a single growth factor signal, IGF₁, was given, and CD4, CD8and total T lymphocyte cell counts dropped 45 cells, 475 cells and 700cells, respectively. This may be due to only giving one growth factorsignal, or more probably to the death of this patient's father, andextensive transcontinental travel and exhaustion during the terminalstages of the father's illness. Grief and loss are well known stressfactors that depress immune function. This patient did not receive anyconventional drug treatments.

EXAMPLE 5

Electrical conductances of fifteen Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) patientswere measured at acupuncture points for the immune system using theLISTEN system. The results are shown in FIG. 14. Higher than normalconductances were found at points corresponding to: lymph drainage oftonsils/throat (LY1aR) lymph tissue of lungs (LY4R); connective tissue(FICR); spleen lymphocytes homing to the lower body and gastrointestinaltract (SP2L); and spleen B lymphocytes and blood purification duties ofspleen (SP3L). These results coincide with the clinical symptoms ofpatients with chronic EBV infection.

Eleven of the fifteen patients were subsequently treated for 3-9 monthswith a combination of homeopathic growth factor signals and botanicalscorresponding to the LISTEN digital codes. Each patient was treated onceper month using the previously outlined protocol. As shown in FIG. 15,significant improvement in electrical conductances occurred. Fewerclinical symptoms were also observed and reported by the patients. Forexample, the patients had less upper respiratory distress, less sorethroats, more energy, fewer complaints regarding tendonitis, andsomewhat improved digestion. These are all typical complaints of EBVpatients.

Five of these patients were tested for the ability of signalscorresponding to different dilutions of growth factors to normalizeelectrical conductances during one appointment. The results are shown inTable VI.

                  TABLE VI                                                        ______________________________________                                                        Intake                                                                        Titer    Growth                                               Patient                                                                             EBV Titers                                                                              Levels   Factor     Dilution                                  ______________________________________                                        #1    VCA IgG   892      AA PDGF    6C                                        #2    VCA IgG   640      AA PDGF    800x, 30C                                       EA         80      BB PDGF    800x, 6C                                        EBNA      pos      AB PDGF    800x                                                               TGFβ1 800x                                                               TGFβ2 800x                                                               TGFα 800x                                                               αFGF 6C                                                                 IGF1       800x, 6C                                                                      200C, 1000C                               #3    VCA IgG   640      Stem Cell  30C                                                                Factor                                                     EA         80                                                                 EBNA      neg                                                           #4    VCA IgG   160      AA PDGF    6C                                              EA         80                                                                 EBNA      pos                                                           #5    VCA IgG   1280     IGF1       6C, 12C,                                                                      1000C                                           EA        neg      Insulin    30C                                             EBNA       40      TGFβ1 600x, 6C,                                                                     1000C                                                              βFGF  6C, 1000C                                                          TGFα 30C, 1000C                                                         NGF        6C                                                                 Growth Hormone                                                                           1000C                                     ______________________________________                                    

As outlined above, a dilution of 6C is equal to 1:100 diluted six times(10⁻¹² M). A dilution of 800× is equal to 1:10 diluted 800 times.

Prior to treatment, each of the five patients was tested for thepresence of the following EBV titers: viral capsid antigen (VCA), earlyantigen (EA), and Epstein-Barr nuclear antigen (EBNA), as shown in TableIII. In non-EBV infected subjects these titers are either negative orclose to zero. Patient 1 was symptomatic with sore throat, sinusdrainage and swollen glands at time of electrical conductance testing.Patients 2 and 5 were similar in that both had gall bladder surgery,hysterectomies, fibromyalgia, and were over forty and over-weight.Patient 2 also had chronic HPV and HSV infection. Patient 5's fastingblood sugar readings were indicative of mature onset of non-insulindependent diabetes. Patient 3 was additionally diagnosed as havingmultiple sclerosis. Patient 4 was additionally diagnosed as havingrheumatoid arthritis.

All available growth factor signals were tested for patients 1 and 3-5.Based on the earlier HIV data, potentially useful growth factors weretested on patient 2 to determine effective dilutions, as shown in TableVI.

Patient 5 was balanced on each of seven individual appointments usingonly growth factors. The growth factors were able to bring theelectrical conductances into the normal range of 45-55 at everyacupuncture point (over 30 points), often without additionalsupplementation with naturopathic medicines.

As described earlier all five patients demonstrated improved clinicalsymptoms. The growth factors found to be effective in treating these EBVpatients included PDGF, TGFβ, αFGF, IGF1, NGF, insulin, growth hormone,and stem cell factor.

EXAMPLE 6

Two cancer patients were administered signals corresponding tohomeopathic dilutions of growth factors using the standard LISTENprotocol. Patient 1 had chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), which is a stemcell disease in which stem cells fail to respond to physiologic feedbacksignals that regulate growth and differentiation of hematopoieticprecursors. This patient had just begun treatment with alpha-interferonseveral hours before testing with the LISTEN system. Patient 2 had anadenocarcinoma (renal cell carcinoma) removed from her left sideapproximately 18 months prior to this study, and had metastases to thelung, skull and possibly to the bones and liver at the commencement ofthis study.

As shown in FIG. 16, these two patients had significantly differentelectrical conductances. Both patients' electrical conductances werenormalized by administration of specific homeopathic growth factorsignals and naturopathic supplements. For patient 1, signalscorresponding to combined dilutions of IGF1 were found to bring theconductances back into the normal range. For patient 2, signalscorresponding to 30×, 100C and 1000C dilutions of NGF, an 8× dilution ofAA PDGF, and 6C and 30C dilutions of TGFβ1 were found to be effective.The naturopathic supplements alone did not balance the electricalconductances.

Patient 2, following treatment using the LISTEN system five times perweek for one month, no longer tested positive for cancer, using theserum AMAS™ test (Anti-Malignin Antibody in Senun determined withTARGET™ Reagent; Oncolab, Inc., Boston, Mass.; Abrams, M. B. et al. 1994Cancer Detection and Prevention 18:65-78). In this test, the higher thecomponent result number, the more indicative the result is of cancer.The AMAS™ normal range for S-TAG is 0-399; for F-TAG 0-299; and fornet-TAG 0-99. The specific results of the AMAS™test for this patientafter one month of treatment were as follows: S-TAG 184 μg/ml (normal);F-TAG 79 μg/ml (normal); and net-TAG 105 μg/ml (borderline). AMAS™testresults continued to improve with continued administration of radiofrequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors. Two months later, after continued treatment, the results of theAMAS™test were as follows: S-TAG 152 μg/ml (17% decrease); F-TAG 70μg/ml (11% decrease) and net-TAG 82 μg/ml (now in normal range with a22% decrease). All component measurements indicated that normal resultshad been achieved. The results of blood chemistry analyses for Patient 2before treatment and after one month of treatment with signalscorresponding to TGFβ1 are shown in Table VII.

                  TABLE VII                                                       ______________________________________                                        Blood Chemistry                                                                            Before Treatment                                                                            After Treatment                                    ______________________________________                                        Chemistry                                                                     Sodium       139 meg/l     143                                                Potassium    3.3 meg/l     4.8                                                Chloride     100 meg/l     108                                                CO.sub.2     25 meg/l      23                                                 Glucose      173 (high) mg/dl                                                                            149 (high but                                                                 closer to normal)                                  Calcium      8.7 mg/dl     9.0                                                Bun          18.0 mg/dl    18.0                                               Creatinine   1.2 mg/dl     1.2                                                Bun/Creat.   15.0          15.1                                               Uric Acid    5.5 mg/dl     6.2 (high)                                         Cholesterol  301 (high) mg/dl                                                                            357 (high)                                         Triglycerides                                                                              523 (high)    305 (high but                                                                 closer to normal)                                  Albumin      4.0 g/dl      4.1                                                Globulin     2.6 g/dl      2.5                                                A/G ratio    1.5           1.6                                                Total Bilirubin                                                                            0.6 mg/dl     0.4                                                Direct Bilirubin                                                                           0.4 mg/dl     0.0                                                Alkaline Phosphatase                                                                       62 u/l        108                                                LDH          136 u/l       150                                                AST (SGOT)   8 u/l         15                                                 ALT (SGPT)   8 u/l         18                                                 CBC                                                                           WBC          7 × 1000/ul                                                                           5.9                                                RBC          3.93 (Low) mil/ul                                                                           4.49 (resolved)                                    Hemoglobin   11.7 (Low) g/dl                                                                             13.6 (resolved)                                    Hematocrit   35.1 (Low) %  41.7 (resolved)                                    MCV          89.3 fl       92.9                                               MCH          29.8 pg       30.3                                               MCHC         33.3%         32.6                                               Neutrophils  55.9%         62.9%                                              Lymphocytes  34.4%         32.7%                                              Monocytes    7.4% (monocytosis)                                                                          2.4% (resolved)                                    Eosinophils  1.4%          1.2%                                               Basophils    0.9%          0.8%                                               Platelet count                                                                             342,000/ul    348,000/ul                                         ______________________________________                                    

Prior to treatment, Patient 2 had anemia, as indicated by thehemoglobin, hematocrit and red blood cell count (RBC), and immunestress, indicated by slightly elevated monocyte counts. Followingtreatment with radio frequency signals corresponding to TGFβ1 for aperiod of one month, the patient's anemia and monocytosis had resolved.The patient's liver enzyme values (SGOT and SGPT) were also greatlyimproved, as was the alkaline phosphatase level.

EXAMPLE 7

FIG. 17 shows the change in white blood cell count in a patient withchronic lymphocytic leukemia both before and during treatment first withradio frequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions of growthfactors and subsequently with both radio signals in combination withorally administered homeopathic dilutions of growth factors.

This patient was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia in April1992. From April 1993 to April 1994 (months -12 to 0 on the time scale)the white blood cell count doubled from 24,700 to 49,000 cells/mm³. InApril 1994 (months 0 to 7) the patient began receiving radio frequencysignals corresponding to growth factors on a weekly basis. During thistreatment period, the white blood cell count maintained a relatively lownonprogressive state, as noted by the significantly different regressionline during that time versus the general treatment period regressionline. The patient initially progressed to higher counts of white bloodcells when orally administered 10⁻¹² M and 10⁻²⁴ M dilutions of GM-CSFplus radio frequency signals corresponding to homeopathic dilutions ofgrowth factors. The white blood cell counts were dramatically decreasedby introducing homeopathic dilutions of 10⁻⁶⁰ M and 10⁻²,000 M BB-PDGFplus a homeopathic dilution of HH6V into the protocol. With the additionof 10⁻⁶⁰ M and 10⁻²,000 M TGFβ to the protocol, the patient's whiteblood cell count dropped back down to 41,000 cells/mm³. The regressionline demonstrates a downward trend.

EXAMPLE 8

A study was performed using the LISTEN system on two patients withinsulin-dependent diabetes. Both patients were between 11 and 12 yearsof age and were treated within one year of onset of disease. Patient 1serum-tested positive for Coxsackie B3 virus, which has been implicatedthrough epidemiological studies to be a causative factor in the onset ofdiabetes. Patient 2 was not tested for Coxsackie B virus. The highlyabnormal conductances of these patients shown in FIG. 18 were broughtinto the normal range by the administration of signals corresponding tonaturopathic supplements plus a 6C dilution of insulin. On one occasion,patient 1's conductance points were completely balanced with signalscorresponding to combined dilutions of stem cell factor or vasopressinwithout the need for additional signals of naturopathic supplements.These corrections in electrical conductance correspond with greatercontrol of blood glucose level.

In a separate treatment session, all available signals for homeopathicgrowth factors were scanned to determine which signal would bringpatient 2's conductances back to the normal range. A signalcorresponding to a 600×dilution of βFGF was found to be most effective.

Although the present invention has been described in terms of specificembodiments, changes and modifications can be carried out withoutdeparting from the scope of the invention which is intended to belimited only by the scope of the appended claims.

I claim:
 1. A composition comprising a homeopathic dilution of one ormore purified growth factors, said factors comprising cell signallingpolyeptides.
 2. A composition as recited in claim 1, wherein said one ormore purified growth factors is selected from the group consisting ofgranulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor, granulocyte-colonystimulating factor, macrophage-colony stimulating factor, tumor necrosisfactor, transforming growth factors, epidermal growth factors, stem cellfactor, platelet-derived growth factors, nerve growth factors,fibroblast growth factors, insulin-like growth factor, growth hormone,interleukin-1, interleukin-2, keratinocyte growth factor, ciliaryneurotrophic growth factor, Schwann cell-derived growth factor, vacciniavirus growth factor, bombyxin, neu differentiation factor, v-Sis andglial growth factor/acetylcholine receptor-inducing activity.
 3. Acomposition as recited in claim 1 wherein said homeopathic dilution of agrowth factor is in a liquid form.
 4. A composition as recited in claim1 wherein said homeopathic dilution of said one or more growth factorsis in a liquid form.
 5. A composition as recited in claim 4 wherein theconcentration of said homeopathic dilution is between about 10⁻⁶ molarand about 10⁻¹⁰⁰,000 molar.
 6. A composition as recited in claim 1wherein said homeopathic dilution of a growth factor is impregnated on asolid medium.
 7. A composition as recited in claim 6 wherein said solidmedium comprises a tablet.
 8. A composition consisting essentially of ahomeopathic dilution of one or more growth factors, said factorscomprising cell signalling poylpeptides.
 9. A composition as recited inclaim 8, wherein said one or more growth factors is selected from thegroup consisting of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulating factor,granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, macrophage-colony stimulatingfactor, tumor necrosis factor, transforming growth factors, epidermalgrowth factors, stem cell factor, platelet-derived growth factors, nervegrowth factors, fibroblast growth factors, instalin-like growth factor,growth hormone, interleukin-1, interleukin-2, keratinocyte growthfactor, ciliary neurotrophic growth factor, Schwann cell-derived growthfactor, vaccinia virus growth factor, bombyxin, neu differentiationfactor, v-Sis and glial growth factor/acetylcholine receptor-inducingactivity.
 10. A composition as recited in claim 8 wherein theconcentration of said homeopathic dilution is between about 10⁻⁶ molarand about 10⁻¹⁰⁰,000 molar.
 11. A composition prepared by making a firstsolution containing one or more purified growth factors, said factorscomprising cell signalling polypeptides, and subsequently making one ormore serial dilutions of the first solution to produce a homeopathicdilution of less than about 10⁻⁶ molar.
 12. A composition as recited inclaim 11 wherein said one or more purified growth factors is selectedfrom the group consisting of granulocyte macrophage-colony stimulatingfactor, granulocyte-colony stimulating factor, macrophage-colonystimulating factor, tumor necrosis factor, transforming growth factors,epidermal growth factors, stem cell factor, platelet-derived growthfactors, nerve growth factors, fibroblast growth factors, insulin-likegrowth factor, growth hormone, interleukin-1, interleukin-2,keratinocyte growth factor, ciliary neurotrophic growth factor, Schwanncell-derived growth factor, vaccinia virus growth factor, bombyxin, neudifferentiation factor, v-Sis and glial growth factor/acetylcholinereceptor-inducing activity.
 13. A composition as recited in claim 11wherein the concentration of said homeopathic dilution is between about10⁻⁶ molar and about 10⁻¹⁰⁰,000 molar.